Ashbringer
, Blade of the Scarlet Highlord, is an immensely powerful weapon crafted by Archmage Timolain for Highlord Mograine of the Scarlet Crusade. Mograine himself became known as the Ashbringer, for his ability to smite the undead to ashes even before he unsheathed his blade. Until recently the blade was believed lost, but has been confirmed to still be in Mograine's possession even after his reincarnation as a Death Knight by the lich Kel'Thuzad, the master of Naxxramas. However, the blade has been corrupted due to the circumstances surrounding his death along with the fact that he and his sword behaved as one entity. History During the Battle of Blackrock Spire in the Second War, Highlord (then Commander) Mograine of the Silver Hand claimed a dark crystal from an orc lieutenant. The crystal was said to be the "living embodiment of shadow," and originated from the orcish homeworld of Draenor. When the first whispers of the Scourge reached Lordaeron, Commander Mograine revealed his crystal to the council of the Silver Hand and suggested to use it against the impending undead holocaust. The other leaders initially rejected his plan, but upon casting a Holy spell upon the crystal it became its antithesis - a crystal of pure light. The crystal would then be used by Archmage Timolain to forge the Ashbringer. (This council can be seen in the Southshore Inn inside the Caverns of Time: Escape from Durnholde Keep.) After the Scarlet Crusade was formed, Mograine was appointed to its top position of Highlord, and Ashbringer became the most lethal weapon in the arsenal of the Crusade - so much so that it quickly gained the attention of the lich Kel'Thuzad. Once Saiden Dathrohan (who was secretly murdered or possessed by the Dreadlord Balnazzar) became Grand Crusader, he struck a deal with Kel'Thuzad to eliminate Mograine - the bane of the Scourge would be destroyed, and Balnazzar would take over Mograine's position and control the Scarlet Crusade. Balnazzar corrupted Mograine's son, Renault, and made plans to set a trap for the Highlord. Renault led his father and High Inquisitor Fairbanks to Stratholme, where legions of the Scourge were waiting for him. Fairbanks was ignored by the undead (who were only after Mograine), but became trapped under a pile of corpses. Mograine smote the many waves of undead with ease, but was eventually overcome. Renault (being ignored by the Scourge) claimed his father's sword and slew him, defiling the blade. He left his father's body and sword and reported to the Crusade that it had been lost. Renault's betrayal was witnessed only by the unseen Fairbanks, who could only listen as Renault murdered his father. Fairbanks remained there until he regained his strength and left the besieged city a few days later. He fled to the Scarlet Monastery where he told of Renault's actions to anyone who would listen. Those who believed him broke away from the Crusade and formed the Argent Dawn. However, the majority refused to believe him and had him killed. His body was discarded in a secret chamber in the Scarlet Cathedral. Meanwhile, Kel'Thuzad resurrected Mograine as one of his Death Knights, and took up his corrupted blade. Since then Mograine has fallen into madness, and resides in Naxxramas. Renault became the Scarlet Commander, and Balnazzar gained complete control over the Scarlet Crusade. In-Game Existence Although the Ashbringer has been in the game files since release, it is not currently known to be acquirable on public realms. The rumors regarding an acquirable Ashbringer persisted until a French CM admitted that it is not currently in-game. Eyonix soon confirmed on the US forums: "It's true that currently Ashbringer is not in the game, although one day in the future it will be, but not until after there is an awesome legendary item for casters. ;)" Posted on 2-24-06 at 2:15PM A now obvious reference to , which implies that Ashbringer will be the next legendary item in-game. Quotes Several NPC's allude to the existence of the Ashbringer, resulting in rumors that the Ashbringer can be acquired by players: Bardu Sharpeye: "Hello. I've set up camp here at the Bulwark to make my preparations for my journey into the Plaguelands. I've heard rumor that a great human wizard took up residency in Hearthglen not terribly long ago. He was commissioned by the Scarlet Crusade to fashion their warriors and hunters new bows and guns. It's said that he completed a remarkable weapon before the Crusade killed him. I guess their mistrust of the arcane has grown." Caretaker Alen: "The what-bringer? Oh, ASHbringer? Never heard of it ... What? Stop bothering me!" Shen'dralar Zealot: "The Master holds great interest in the Lair of Nefarian. If only someone would defeat the dragon and his minions and retell the tale to the Prince. I bet that would loosen the Prince's lips. The Ashbringer could be found!" Shen'dralar Zealot: "Has the Prince recanted the tale of the Ashbringer? It is our most favorite of his stories. His favorite is the follow up to the Ashbringer. Of course, nobody has ever been able to get that story out of him." Alexia Ironknife: "Greetings. Don't have too much time to talk -- I'm just using Chillwind as a camp to get some rest before heading to Hearthglen. I've heard word that before they went crazy, the Scarlet Crusade had a mage working for them who was trying to create powerful bows and guns for their soldiers. I'm not sure if he succeeded or not ... the Crusade killed him before any of his finished product made it out. Maybe they killed him to keep it a secret ... or maybe they distrust the arcane that much." Narain Soothfancy: " Don't tell me! Shhh! You are here about the Ashbringer?!? Yes ... Yes ... No! My bad. What can I help you with, (race)?" : "... and so that's where you'll find the legendary sword of the Scarlet Highlord, Ashbringer. Ain't it amazing, what you run into in an ordinary day of fishin'?" Commander Eligor Dawnbringer: "The Ashbringer is dead and there will never be another like him. The lesser Mograine is a far cry from the man his father was. You know this, Commander! It was, after all, your own leadership that was responsible for the death of the Scarlet Highlord Mograine. It was your leadership that manipulated a grieving child to try to recover the sword. A child that has grown into a man with nothing but vengeance and hatred in his heart! And for what? You are no closer to the sword now than you were five years ago. Yet you think that recovering Ashbringer will somehow turn the tide of battle? Let me let you in on a little secret, Commander. The power of the Ashbringer came from the man who would wield it... I was there, Commander. I watched him burn legions of undead in righteous fire before he would even unsheath the blade. Alas, your grasp on history is... lacking. Now be silent and note where you are, lest I inform Lord Fordring and his knights that you are no longer here on amicable terms. I am certain he would take great pleasure in seeing to your 'atonement.'" These quotes imply that Nat Pagle and Prince Tortheldrin know the location of Ashbringer. However, no player has successfully received any information from them. Corrupted Ashbringer Players meet Highlord Mograine in Naxxramas in the Four Horsemen encounter. Mograine is seen as a Death Knight wielding . Corrupted Ashbringer may be looted from the Horsemens' cache. Upon wielding the blade, the player becomes friendly with the Scarlet Crusade (although it does not appear in the reputations window) and hated with the Argent Dawn. Upon entering the Cathedral in the Scarlet Monastery, the wielder initiates a triggered event beginning with Commander Mograine welcoming the player: "Scarlet Commander Mograine yells: Bow down! Kneel before the Ashbringer! A new dawn approaches, brothers and sisters! Our message will be delivered to the filth of the new world through the chosen one." Unexpectedly, Highlord Mograine's ghost appears in full Dreadnaught, revives High Inquisitor Fairbanks and smites his son (Renault, the Scarlet Commander). Fairbanks proceeds to tell the story of Renault's betrayal and that the Corrupted Ashbringer is beyond redeeming. However, Mograine has another son who resides in Outland and has the ability to forge a new Ashbringer. Fairbanks does not give any quests. Old Questline It is rumored that Ashbringer may have been originally intended to be in the game much earlier, based on the fact that many NPC's have mentioned it to the player since launch. Parts of the questline can be put together from induction. Nat Pagle knows the location of Ashbringer, based on the fact that he writes about it in his book, Nat Pagle's Guide to Extreme Anglin', of which players only have the last page. The full copy of the book, A Thoroughly Read Copy of "Nat Pagle's Extreme' Anglin", can be found in Dire Maul from opening dusty tomes, however it is not readable. Prince Tortheldrin, being a historian and bibliophile, likely read the book, learned of the Ashbringer's location, and discarded the book in Dire Maul where the player finds it. Tortheldrin would offer his knowledge to any player who would bring him the head of Nefarian. Additionally, at one time Timolain's Phylactery could be looted from Large Vile Slimes in the Weeping Cave in the Western Plaguelands. Being that Timolain crafted Ashbringer, it is likely that it was to be used in the old questline. Although it is a quest item, players did not need to be on a particular quest to obtain it, and it is unknown what quest it was used for. It has since been removed from the loot tables. The availability of Ashbringer was likely delayed so that the story could be fleshed out with the addition of Naxxramas. Future Quest It is probable that Ashbringer will be the next obtainable legendary weapon after , based on High Inquistor Fairbanks' instructions to find the other Mograine in Outland, the fact that the crystal from which the original Ashbringer was crafted originated from Draenor, and Eyonix's comments about a caster legendary preceeding Ashbringer. The Crystal The crystal from which the original Ashbringer was crafted may in fact be a Naaru, or at least part of one. Based on what is known about the Naaru life cycle, a Naaru is transformed into a void upon death. However, after a period of time, or with a proper source of holy magic, a Naaru corpse can regenerate its lost energies of the light and return to full power. This is very similar to the properties of the crystal shown by Highlord Mograine in Old Hillsbrad. Mograine also states that the crystal is from the Orc homeworld of Draenor. Given the time period though, the Naaru had yet arrived on Draenor via Tempest Keep. This leaves only one source of the crystal-- D'ore, who was killed in Oshu'gun's crash upon Draenor centuries before, and the first Naaru to be interred in Auchindoun. In the quest What the Soul Sees, D'ore himself tells the player that "without the void, the Light cannot exist," the exact same words Mograine uses. Identity of Mograine's Son Thus far, Mograine's other son has not been found and his precise identity remains unknown. Fan speculation has pointed to at least two possible candidates among the Alliance Expedition: Khadgar, whose history - beyond his apprenticeship to Medivh and his involvement in the invasion of Draenor - is unknown, and Turalyon - again with little known history, other than the fact that he was Anduin Lothar's lieutenant and later the Expedition's High General. Judging by the fact that Mograine was formerly a paladin, some lean more towards Turalyon, who is also a paladin; his fate remains unknown (though Blizzard has confirmed that both he and Alleria Windrunner, the other Expedition commander with an unknown fate, will appear in World of Warcraft eventually). It is also likely that it is not a character of lore at all, and may be just another common soldier in the Alliance Expedition. However, judging by the fact that he has not been located, it is believed that the other son of Mograine is a prisoner of Illidan and is being held in the Black Temple in Shadowmoon Valley, which remains unopened. Item Data Ashbringer as a GM-only weapon Pre-legendary epic in-game Probably fake Also suspect Note that the original stats of Ashbringer (top left) are out-of-date and will be updated before the sword is made available on live servers (confirmed by CM posts); the update was likely deemed necessary because of the abundance of weapons with stats far superior. The alternative stats for Ashbringer (bottom left) have been reported on some web sites (however, this information is suspected to be fake). Meanwhile, the bottom-right stats are based on this picture, and is also suspect: See Also * Corrupted Ashbringer * Ashbringer.com * Origin of Ashbringer (Old Hillsbrad) Category:Legendary Items Category:Swords